Media access control address translation for a fiber to the home system

• US 20030236916A1
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tellabs Bedford, Inc. (Infinera Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tellabs Bedford, Inc. (Infinera Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimbrough, Mahlon D., Adcox, Timothy D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses

Abstract

A media access control (MAC) layer address translation system is included in a fiber to the home (FTTH) system having a central office that interfaces a packet data network with a passive optical network (PON). The (MAC) layer address translation system includes a home network unit (HNU), a host system, and a MAC address table. The HNU is coupled to the PON and has an associated base MAC layer address and an associated secondary MAC layer address that identify the HNU within the PON. The host system is coupled in a network to the HNU and has an associated host MAC layer address that identifies the host system within the network. The MAC address table is stored in a memory device, and associates the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address. Upon receiving an outgoing transmission from the host system that includes the host MAC layer address, the HNU accesses the MAC address table to determine the secondary MAC layer address that is associated with the host MAC layer address and modifies the outgoing transmission to replace the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address.

Claims

1. In a fiber to the home (FTTH) system including a central office that interfaces a packet data network with a passive optical network (PON), a media access control (MAC) layer address translation system, comprising:

a home network unit (HNU) coupled to the PON and having an associated base MAC layer address and an associated secondary MAC layer address that identify the HNU within the PON;

a host system coupled in a network to the HNU and having an associated host MAC layer address that identifies the host system within the network; and

a MAC address table stored in a memory device that associates the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address;

wherein upon receiving an outgoing transmission from the host system that includes the host MAC layer address, the HNU accesses the MAC address table to determine the secondary MAC layer address that is associated with the host MAC layer address and modifies the outgoing transmission to replace the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein upon receiving an incoming transmission from the packet data network that includes the secondary MAC layer address, the HNU accesses the MAC address table to determine the host MAC layer address that is associated with the secondary MAC layer address and modifies the incoming transmission to replace the secondary MAC layer address with the host MAC layer address.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network includes a plurality of host systems coupled to the HNU via an Ethernet drop.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet data network is an Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the PON includes a plurality of single optic fibers, each optic fiber being split with a passive optic splitter to feed a plurality of home network units (HNUs).

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each single optic fiber in the PON feeds four HNUs.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the host system is a personal computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the MAC address table is stored in a memory device within the HNU.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a MAC address translation software module executing on a processor in the HNU that queries the MAC address table to determine the host MAC layer address and modify the outgoing transmission.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is assigned by incrementing the base MAC layer address by a pre-determined number.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the HNU determines if the outgoing transmission from the host system is an address resolution protocol (ARP) request, and if the outgoing transmission is an ARP request, then the HNU modifies a data payload portion of the outgoing transmission to replace the host MAC layer address included within the data payload with the secondary MAC layer address.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the HNU associates the secondary MAC layer address with the host MAC layer address in the MAC address table.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is statically associated with the host MAC layer address in the MAC address table.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is dynamically associated with the host MAC layer address in the MAC address table and is re-associated with a MAC layer address for another host system if the host system is out of communication with the HNU for a set period of time.

15. In a fiber to the home (FTTH) system including a central office that interfaces a packet data network with a passive optical network (PON), a media access control (MAC) layer address translation system, comprising:

a home network unit (HNU) coupled to the PON and having an associated base MAC layer address and an associated secondary MAC layer address that identify the HNU within the PON;

a host system coupled in a network to the HNU and having an associated host MAC layer address that identifies the host system within the network; and

means for associating the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address; and

means for modifying an outgoing transmission to replace the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for detecting the secondary MAC layer address in an incoming transmission;

means for determining the host MAC layer address associated with the detected secondary MAC layer address; and

means for modifying the incoming transmission to replace the secondary MAC layer address with the host MAC layer address.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the network includes a plurality of host systems coupled to the HNU via an Ethernet drop.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the packet data network is an Internet.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the PON includes a plurality of single optic fibers, each optic fiber being split with a passive optic splitter to feed a plurality of home network units (HNUs).

20. The system of claim 15, wherein each single optic fiber in the PON feeds four HNUs.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the host system is a personal computer.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is assigned by incrementing the base MAC layer address by a pre-determined number.

23. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining if the outgoing transmission from the host system is an address resolution protocol (ARP) request, and if the outgoing transmission is an ARP request, then the modifying a data payload portion of the outgoing transmission to replace the host MAC layer address within the data payload with the secondary MAC layer address.

24. In a fiber to the home (FTTH) system including a central office that interfaces a packet data network with a passive optical network (PON), a method for providing a secure connection between a host device in the FTTH system and the packet data network, comprising the steps of:

providing a home network unit (HNU) coupled in the FTTH between the PON and the host device and having an associated base MAC layer address and an associated secondary MAC layer address that identify the HNU within the PON;

transmitting an outgoing data packet from the host device to the HNU that includes a host MAC layer address associated with the host device;

accessing a MAC address table to identify associate the host MAC layer address with the secondary MAC layer address;

modifying the outgoing data packet to remove the host MAC layer address and add the secondary MAC layer address; and

transmitting the modified outgoing data packet from the HNU to the packet data network via the PON and central office.

25. The system of claim 24, comprising the further steps of:

determining if the outgoing data packet from the host device is an address resolution protocol (ARP) request; and

if the outgoing data packet is an ARP request, then modifying a data payload portion of the outgoing data packet to replace the host MAC layer address included within the data payload with the secondary MAC layer.

26. The system of claim 24, comprising the further step of assigning the secondary MAC layer address in the MAC address resolution table to the host MAC layer address.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is statically assigned to the host MAC layer address.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the secondary MAC layer address is dynamically assigned to the host MAC layer address, and comprising the further step of re-assigning the secondary MAC layer address to a MAC layer address for another host device if the host device is out of communication with the HNU for a set period of time.

29. In a fiber to the home (FTTH) system including a central office that interfaces a packet data network with a passive optical network (PON), a method for providing a secure connection between a packet data network and a host device in the FTTH system, comprising the steps of:

providing a home network unit (HNU) coupled in the FTTH between the PON and the host device and having an associated base MAC layer address and an associated secondary MAC layer address that identify the HNU within the PON;

transmitting an incoming data packet from the packet data network to the central office that includes the secondary MAC layer address;

transmitting the incoming data packet from the central office to the HNU via the PON;

accessing a MAC address table to identify a host MAC layer address that is associated with the secondary MAC layer address;

modifying the incoming data packet to remove the secondary MAC layer address and add the host MAC layer address; and

transmitting the modified incoming data packet from the HNU over a network to the host device using the host MAC layer address.